The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-06-22

WOMEN RULING A CITr.
and Doing 1t Fully Is Well as Masculine
Officials Could.


(Salina, Kan, Letter to Memphis Appcal.)
7 have just returned from a trip on the
Santa Fe road, west. Syracuse, sixteen
miles from the Colorado line, was the
Mecca Of my pilgrimage, because here,
April +, they elected a city council o!
women, and | was bent upon seeing the
town that had made this innovation, and
the women who were filing the council
chairs. l wanted to ask the people how
! it came about ard how it vas working.
! The first of these ladies introduced TO
me was Mrs. L. 3. Barbour, ir-faced,
gentle-mannered woman, with an un-
mistakable air of business about Ter. |
found this accounted fer by the fact that
she is business woman. Her husband
does large and complicated business;
the books are entirely in her charge.
Mrs. Fl. D. Knott is bCsir ess woman,
too. expect much of Mrs. Knott in
the management of their Suffrage Socie-
ty, because Of her experience in Iowa as
president of the Eighth District Woman
Suffrage Society. Mrs. Coggesllali says
they were very sorry to lose Mrs. Knott
from their ranks. She is chairman Of
the Syracuse aldermanic force. Mrs.
II. N. Riggles is q quiet little woman, u
careful and conscientious mother and
housewife. She has & way OF making
up her mind for herself and standing
firmly by her convictions. She has a
reputation among Syracuse male citizens
for being person of excellent iudg-
ment. Mrs. S. n. Coe is woman OF
excellent ability, with enough conservat-
ism to keep her enthusiasm III proper
check. No one of these women is more
anxious to do exactly right than is Mrs
Coe. She is sister to Mrs. Lemert,
president of the Saxon Equai-Sutirage
Society, organized at Dodge City by
Mrs. Saxon and named for her. She
has several such nameSakes in Kansas.
NErs. L. NJ. Smartwood, the fifth mem
Der, did not see, although l made an
effort to do SO. She was confined to her
home by sickness: but l am told that
she is a woman of ability and that she is
by no means behind her sisters in any
requisite for her position. My short
acquaintance with these women con-
vinced me that sitting in council chairs
and wrestling with questions OF city
poity have had no effect TO uusex them
whatever that may be-ior these were
as womaniy women as [ have ever seen.
| looked in vain for masculine tenden-
cies. There was not 6 hint Of It IN dress
or manner. Meeting them on the street
or in the cars, you would never guess
that they were CITY officials. From cor
versation with them l learned taat they
We're exceedingly anxious to make their
administration just one-one that
would advance the best interests OF the
city; and when they spoke OF advancing
the interests OF Their city they betrayed
the fact that they had in mind the city 5
moral as well as temporal prosperity.
1t is said of them that they are doing
better work than the body Of men who
composed the previous council. Their
townspeopie say they were elected be-
cause somebody proposed it and every
body was pleased with the idea;" be-
cause ''it was believed that they would
make excellent officers" because "the
temperance people thought women
wouldn't be afraid to enforce the pro-
hibitory law" because eve wanted to
advertise our town"-filis last from
mtmber Of a real estate firm; "because
women would take time to do the work
well and thoughtfully." Altogether, |
was pleased with my first sight Of
woma council. This is the only one in
the United States.